Can you believe it? Just after we have all of the buzz about the world’s largest cut emerald being put up for auction, the question arises, IS IT REALLY EMERALD??
The gemologist that studied this giant 25 pound, yes you read right, 25 pound cut emerald cannot guarantee that the entire stone is emerald. He believes that it contains some emerald, but the stone has been dyed. How much dye you may ask? Well, no one knows for sure, which would mean that some or all of this giant stone may be what we call white beryl. Emerald is a green version of Beryl, much prized for it’s beautiful color as it is for the mineral that it’s made from. White Beryl on the other hand, has only a fraction of the value of green beryl.
The gemologist that looked at the watermelon size stone says “any enhancement by dye certainly lessens its value when compared to one that is naturally colored by Mother Nature”.
The owner acknowledges that the 57,500 carat oval cut stone has been dyed to some extent, but “the size of it is what makes it special”. He never submitted this stone to the GIA for inspection as the fear is that they would not call it emerald.
If it sells at the January 28th auction, it may fetch greater than $1.15 million dollars, but what can you do with a stone this large? It’s been suggested that it will make a great end table, or a wonderful conversation piece. The way I see it, it seems like expensive bragging rights for a stone that we are not even sure is what it is purported to be!
